Longtime dotMagis contributor Jim Manney has written a new book called What Do You Really Want? In it he examines Ignatian discernment. Manney shares that our most authentic desires have been given to us by God. These, though, can be obscured by other desires. Through discernment, we sift through our desires “to find what we most deeply and truly want,” and in doing so we find what God wants for us.
St. Ignatius thought that the ability to discern well was one of the most valuable skills a Christian could have. Unlike many books on life skills and decision making, Manney frames the process as not a one-time event, but a way of life. For Manney, discernment leads to “a deepening relationship with God. It’s a journey together; it’s more like dancing together than walking alone.”